Agreed. I think people are putting too much stock in the admittedly dismal sales of WP7. I think the wisdom in aligning themselves with MS will show when Win8 hits. Until then I don't think WP7 has a shot at market penetration, but if Win8 can deliver that truly seamless integration between all devices, then MS will have a winner. Hopefully they execute on time.Reply

I think there was at least one other option. Aside from Symbian, Nokia had been working on Meego with a customised GUI. Since it is both linux (not in a VM) and supports the QT software already used by developers for some Symbian, it would not have taken long to ramp up the number of apps. Upsetting the existing developer community was not wise in this respect (internal or external devs).

I can understand what Elop may have meant about Symbian being a burning platform, when faced with fierce competition, but don't include Meego in that. It may still be an option if the Microsoft deal is not as successful as hoped (assuming Nokia survived such an event). Sure Meego could be improved with more work, but if they refocussed hundreds of Symbian developers on it that would have helped accelerate delivery of a competitive new OS.

If they wanted to take the WP7 route and limit number of models they ought to have manufactured some great hardware model that is capable to run the customer's choice of either S3, WP7 or Meego. I know which I would be running.Reply

Dead? Hardly, we have 53 phones for our employees. 12 were iphones, 8 now, with those 4 moving to WP7. As the other upgrades become available, I expect more to be moving to WP7 as they are liking what they have seen and heard. Reply

I wonder if Nokia will stick with MS's rigid list of hardware requirements. More specifically, the SoC's in their phones. Nokia has had pretty strong relations with TI in the past and with ST-Ericsson also bringing a dual-core A9 to the party, it'll be interesting to see what Nokia chooses.

Speaking of ST-Ericsson, how come no coverage on their NovaThor line? Did I miss something?Reply

Yeah, I'm curious. Microsoft's hardware limitations do allow nice optimization, its UI is smoother for example than Android phones with much more powerful GPU's, but still being stuck with first gen Snapdragons in 2011 kind of bites. I hope they allow some of the dual cores soon. Reply

If those new phones Nokia will produce are supported by major carriers, and I don't have a doubt about that, look alike other high-end smartphones and pack a high bling factor, so to say, like GHz processors and many megapixels cameras, HD recording and pack large amounts of internal memory, they got a winner. Windows is familiar to many, so if you use Windows at work and at home, why should you not use it with your smartphone too? Anyway most people buy expensive phones for the cool factor and bragging rights, not for the technology inside.Reply

Maybe if Microsoft could get more than ONE LOWSY HTC phone (without a keyboard) on Verizon's network they'd get better market penetration.I was holding out for a Win7 phone before my last upgrade and there wasn't anything available so i've got a blackberry.I'm probably not the only one whose willing to try WP7 but simply cannot due to the options available.Reply

What I really wanted was a very capable and similar phone, the Nokia N9, running the OS Meego (which I also have dual booting on my N900).

I played with the N9 hands on at the Nokia QT stand at IBC (International Broadcast Convention) this year and the user interface is just as slick as the Mango release of Windows phone that I've also tried. I found the screen shape more attractive in my hand than in internet photos.